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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088890">The Most Desired Man in Yellowwood</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hero_hero/pseuds/hero_hero'>hero_hero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bartender!Chan, Cats, Competition, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Magical Realism, Shapeshifter!Minho, Shapeshifting, Strangers to Lovers, read notes for details on tw, tw mentions of homophobia, tw mentions of racism, tw some body shaming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:16:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hero_hero/pseuds/hero_hero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee Minho is the most desired man in the small town of Yellowwood, yet he’s also the most elusive. One day, he creates a competition: to prove themselves worthy, one must obtain the key attached to the collar of his cat. Only then will one lucky person be able to win his heart.</p><p>Who could that lucky person be other than Chan?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Ultimate Minchan Masterlist</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Most Desired Man in Yellowwood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>***TW: mentions of racism, homophobia, and body shaming*** All said by Karen, who is the Karen to end all Karens and an absolute bitch (derogatory). I absolutely hate her and think I lost some braincells while writing her :D</p><p>Anyways, this was inspired by a Tumblr post where the most desired woman in town creates a competition where candidates can win her heart if they get the key on the collar of her cat. But the cat is really fucking fast and no one can catch it. Then the protagonist figures out the trick—the cat can be befriended. The twist? The woman is a shapeshifter. She is the cat. </p><p>That Tumblr post practically screamed minchan so here we are with my first ever attempt at them!! I hope I did okay…!!! </p><p>there might be typos and plotholes but this is just meant to be silly and fun so don't take it too seriously pls!!</p><p>Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chan only met the most desired man in Yellowwood once, and he didn’t even realize it until after the man was gone.</p><p> </p><p>It was near the beginning of his shift, while the night was still young, before the usual nightly crowd came out in full swing. Chan was wiping down the bar, glancing up every now and then at the rest of the night club, when someone slid onto one of the barstools directly across from him.</p><p> </p><p>Chan jumped, having not seen this man approach. It was like the young man was just <em>there</em> all of a sudden.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re new,” the young man said, propping his chin up and gazing at Chan.</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave a polite smile. “New<em>ish</em>. Been here a few months already. Though, I’ll admit, you’re also new to me. I haven’t seen you in here before.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I avoid socializing as much as possible,” the young man said.</p><p> </p><p>Chan smirked at that. “What can I get you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mmm…I’ll take a Manhattan.”</p><p> </p><p>“You got it.” Chan then set to making the drink. The young man’s eyes never left him, his gaze bordering on unnerving. Chan was used to people watching him as he made their drinks, or even staring at him with a certain hungry look in their eye, but something about this young man’s gaze was…off. Not in a dangerous way, but something wasn’t quite right.</p><p> </p><p>Chan finished the drink and slid it across the bar to the young man. “Here you go.”</p><p> </p><p>The young man didn’t break eye-contact with him as he lifted the drink to his lips and took a sip. Chan blinked, suddenly finding it a little too warm in here. Even though the young man had an unnerving gaze, he was still stunning, probably one of the most beautiful people Chan had ever seen.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> In the purple and blue lighting of the club, he looked ethereal.</span></p><p> </p><p>He was dressed expensively in a button-up, silk shirt, the top few buttons loosened just enough to draw attention to his exquisite collarbones. Around his neck was a choker with a tiny, silver key on it, matching his dangly, silver earrings. His hair was dark and parted on the side, suiting his small and elegant face perfectly. Chan was sure he’d never seen cheekbones that delicate and graceful, or eyes that alluring and catlike, or <em>lips</em> that soft and—</p><p> </p><p>Chan shook his head to clear it, and the young man smirked like he knew something Chan didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>“Enjoy your night,” Chan said, his cheeks burning.</p><p> </p><p>“And you as well,” the young man said.</p><p> </p><p>Chan quickly turned his attention to some of the other customers. He glanced back at where the young man was only once, when he was making a drink for another customer. His heart sank when he found that spot at the bar empty except for a half-finished Manhattan. He scanned the club for any sign of the handsome young man, but the young man was gone.</p><p> </p><p>The only thing left of that man was a couple of pristine bills under the Manhattan, along with a whopping hundred-dollar tip and a note on the napkin that said in perfect handwriting, <em>Thanks for the drink ;)</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan would have expected the man to leave his number. He was disappointed when he saw that there wasn’t one.</p><p> </p><p>He kept his eye out for that young man every night after that, and yet he never saw him at the club again. If Chan didn’t know any better, he’d say that the young man was a figment of his sleep-deprived imagination.</p><p> </p><p>That theory was only disproven about a month later, when he mentioned the young man to Changbin, when the two of them were wiping down the bar after the club had closed for the night.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin nearly dropped the glass he was cleaning.</p><p> </p><p>“Hold on,” he said, staring at Chan. “Describe him to me again. And this time, try not to sound like a horny male author describing a female character in his novel.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave Changbin a look but said, “He was probably around my age, had dark hair, was really, really beautiful, and wore a silk shirt with a choker. Never seen a man wear that before, but dear god could he pull it off. All he did was order a Manhattan, stare at me while I made it, and then leave. Then he tipped really, really well.”</p><p> </p><p>“Dude,” Changbin said.</p><p> </p><p>“Before you ask—no I didn’t ask for his number, and <em>no</em>, he didn’t leave one.” Chan couldn’t help sulking a little as he turned back to wiping down the bar. “And I haven’t seen him since then. To be honest, I don’t even know if he was even real!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Dude</em>,” Changbin said again.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think you met Lee Minho.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who?” Chan frowned at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Lee Minho,” Changbin said. “This town is like, obsessed with him. For a good reason, too. He’s young, he’s handsome, he’s <em>rich</em>, and he’s reclusive as hell. He’s like the Darcy of Yellowwood, and all the mothers are Mrs. Bennetts trying to set up their daughters with him.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan snorted. “Didn’t think you’d throw in a Pride and Prejudice reference there, Changbin.”</p><p> </p><p>“My point is, he’s rarely seen in public. He’s like a local cryptid.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, should I consider myself lucky or unlucky? Is he the kind of cryptid who only shows himself to people who are going to die soon or something?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin snorted at that. “He’s not <em>magical</em>, dude, he’s just…weird.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if I die in any mysterious accident in the near future, I’m coming back to haunt you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p> </p><p>It seemed as though the moment Chan heard Lee Minho’s name for the first time, he started hearing it everywhere. Everyone in town truly was obsessed with him and talked about him often. And Chan had to admit that just like everyone else in this town, his interest of Lee Minho was piqued. So whenever someone mentioned that name around him, he perked up despite himself.</p><p> </p><p>He learned that Lee Minho lived alone in a mansion off of 8th Street, its driveway so long, narrow, and lined with massive, old pine trees that it was nearly impossible to see the actual mansion. There was only one point where one could pause on the main road and catch a glimpse of the old thing, and even then, one would only see an eave and a window.</p><p> </p><p>Lee Minho also apparently only lived with his three cats and rarely stepped out of his house, to the point where rumors popped up all over the place as to why such an eligible bachelor wasn’t making an effort to date.</p><p> </p><p>Some speculated that he was secretly malformed and ugly and that his handsome face was somehow fake, others thought that he had a terrible disease that kept him from touching or interacting with another human being, and yet others even went as far as to theorize he was a vampire.</p><p> </p><p>Chan liked the vampire one the best. Lee Minho definitely fit the aesthetic. Besides, none of the other theories really seemed to fit based off of that one time Chan actually met Lee Minho in person.</p><p> </p><p>While Lee Minho had plenty of admirers, there was one person in particular who seemed too obsessed with him for their own good. And if Chan were to use Changbin’s <em>Pride and Prejudice</em> metaphor, then this person was, without a doubt, a Mrs. Bennett.</p><p> </p><p>In this day and age, she could be classified as a Karen. How unfortunate (or fortunate) that her name actually <em>was</em> Karen.</p><p> </p><p>Karen was a middle-aged white woman with three daughters, the oldest whom was around Chan and Lee Minho’s age. Apparently, since she was of that age, Karen thought it was the perfect time for her to start dating for marriage. After all, Karen wanted grandbabies!</p><p> </p><p>Now, Chan didn’t hate customers—he didn’t hate <em>anybody</em>—but Karen was the fucking exception. And it seemed like everyone else at the club hated her too.</p><p> </p><p>“Honestly,” Chan muttered to Changbin when making someone else’s drink, while casting a glance at where Karen was loudly and proudly recounting some story of her harassing a retail worker, “why does she even come here? This is literally the last place for someone like her.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin just sighed and shook his head. “I dunno, man. She and her friends seem to think they’re MILFs, so they like to come here and attempt to pick up younger men.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t they all married?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“What the fuck?” Chan paused for a beat, then asked, “Do they flirt with the same guys their daughters do?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin just smiled at him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Good luck. Try not to talk to them too much. And don’t let them pull you in. They’re awful tippers either way.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan made a pained face at him before taking a deep breath and walking back to Karen and her anti-vaxx minions.</p><p> </p><p>“Here you go, ladies,” Chan said with a fake smile as he slid their drinks to them.</p><p> </p><p>“Why thank you, Channie,” Karen said, giving him her flirtiest look as she fumbled with the straw of the drink and slurped at it loudly. Chan wanted to throw up. “You always take such good care of us.” She reached out with one veiny, clawed hand and tried to place it on top of Chan’s. Chan jerked his hand back before she could touch him.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me know if you need anything,” Chan said, trying to make a speedy exit.</p><p> </p><p>Karen was speedier. “And what if I say I need you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’d say I have other customers to take care of,” Chan said. With that, he finally walked away.</p><p> </p><p>And yet, it was still incredibly difficult to get away from Karen completely. She had this loud, annoying voice that demanded to be heard even above the voices of the other customers and the pulsating music. Chan had no idea how that was even possible, but apparently the roar of a jet engine couldn’t drown her out. So, against his will, he overheard most of her conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Most of it was complete bullshit that he deleted from his brain right after hearing it, but then Karen mentioned Lee Minho.</p><p> </p><p>And right away Chan was invested in her conversation completely, feeling odd, like he needed to protect Lee Minho from her. As if Lee Minho was incapable of defending himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, <em>god</em>, I sent Shanon over there one day with a batch full of my <em>amazing</em> kale chocolate chip cookies, and he didn’t even answer the door! Honestly, who the hell does he think he is? He couldn’t do better than Shanon if he tried. I’m starting a new theory—that man is just blind.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan rolled his eyes so hard he gave himself a headache.</p><p> </p><p>“I have half a mind to go over there myself, but I know the moment I do that, it’ll be over for poor Shanon,” Karen continued. “He’ll see me and forget all about her.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan made a face like, <em>seriously?</em></p><p> </p><p>“Honestly, it’s a shame he’s Chinese,” one of Karen’s friends said. “All these theories, but I bet the real reason why he doesn’t interact with people is because he doesn’t speak English.”</p><p> </p><p>“I just hope he’s not a Communist or a Buddhist,” Karen said. “Otherwise, we might need to convert him before the wedding.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn’t stop himself. “He’s Korean.”</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me?” Four pairs of soccer-mom eyes turned to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Lee Minho,” Chan said. “He’s not Chinese. He’s Korean. That’s incredibly insensitive and racist of you. Also, why would it be bad if he’s Buddhist?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand my perspective,” Karen said.</p><p> </p><p>“Someone like me? You mean someone who’s Asian? Or someone who’s not racist?”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you just call me a racist?” Karen stared at him. “You just called me a racist! I can’t believe you treat me—a paying customer—like this. Where’s your manager? I demand to talk to him right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, he’s right over there.” Chan gestured to Changbin.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin must have sensed the fury of four Karens staring into him, so he turned around right as Karen screeched, “MANAGER!”</p><p> </p><p>“Is there a problem?” Changbin asked when he walked over. He placed his hands flat on the bar and leaned forward slightly, staring Karen right in the eye. Despite his short stature, this stance was useful at intimidating unruly customers. It also helped that he regularly wore black, short-sleeve shirts that showed off his muscles.</p><p> </p><p>“This man just called me a <em>racist</em>,” Karen said, pointing at Chan. “I demand a refund for being treated so inhumanely and that he be fired.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have a policy.” And Changbin pointed to—The Sign.</p><p> </p><p>The Sign hung over the bar, explicitly stating that this establishment refused service to anyone who showed signs of racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-semitism, and other forms of bigotry, as well as people who weren’t wearing shoes or a shirt. If the customers didn’t like that, then they could kindly take it up with the police department.</p><p> </p><p>“If you don’t like our sign, then you’re welcome to leave and try another bar,” Changbin told the Karens. “I’m sure Uncle Sam’s down the street will gladly serve you.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn’t help snorting at that. Uncle Sam’s was a motorcycle bar known for its fights and old, fat, bearded men who didn’t seem to shower and liked to chew and spit tobacco. Definitely a disgusting place. ’Murica!</p><p> </p><p>Karen turned purple in the face before grabbing her purse and standing up abruptly. “Well, I just wanted to have a nice night out with my girls, but now that’s ruined thanks to you. <em>You</em> just lost a loyal customer.”</p><p> </p><p>She pointed Changbin right in the face before storming off, her band of mini-Karens right on her heels.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ll be back,” Changbin said, smirking as he straightened up. “Plus, she can’t do anything to me. She has a tab going that’s over five-thousand dollars. I’m sure her husband would <em>love</em> to hear about that, when she promised him that she wouldn’t come here anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan raised his eyebrows at that, impressed.</p><p> </p><p>“But, in the future, try not to piss her off,” Changbin added.</p><p> </p><p>“But she—”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, I know—you think that’s the first time she’s been racist towards Lee Minho or me? Or anybody who’s not white or cishet, for that matter? She’s a disgusting human being, but she’s also loud and impulsive. She might forego calling for me next time and just lunge across the bar. Try to tell me she’s harmless when she digs her acrylic nails into your jugular.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave him a horrified look.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin just smiled, patted Chan on the shoulder, and walked away, saying, “Anyways. Back to work, Channie.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan did get back to work, but he was in a bitter mood for the rest of the night.</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately, his walk home always cooled him off, no matter how bad of a mood he was in.</p><p> </p><p>Since he lived close by, he just walked to and from work. Walking around Yellowwood in the middle of the night was both peaceful and terrifying. On one hand, there was hardly a soul around. The sky was clear, the moon full, the lanes wide and empty. A breeze usually kicked up and rustled the trees lining the roads, carrying a scent of rain and earth. Chan could breathe in deeply and look up at the stars as he walked, feeling like he had the world to himself.</p><p> </p><p>On the other hand, it was a small, old town with creepy mansions set against big, empty fields and a massive forest. Chan would often hear all sorts of shrieks and cries and calls coming from that forest, and a few times he swore he saw eyes watching him from the darkness within. Other times he would cross paths with wildlife like deer or foxes or owls, and nine times out of ten, those animals scared the absolute shit out of him.</p><p> </p><p>So…yeah. Walking alone at night in Yellowwood was sometimes hit or miss.</p><p> </p><p>But it had its perks. His route always passed by Lee Minho’s mansion. The first time Chan walked home, he couldn’t help himself and stopped in that exact spot on the road, trying to catch a glimpse of the house. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to see down the driveway, the mansion was always so dark against the inky black forest behind it that Chan couldn’t really discern any features. He gave up trying after awhile, especially once he realized the other perk to walking by Lee Minho’s house.</p><p> </p><p>Tonight was no different. Chan smiled despite his mood as he approached the entrance to the driveway, where the cats were waiting for him.</p><p> </p><p>Lee Minho had three cats. This was universal knowledge. They were all tabbies—two orange and white, one grey and white. It turned out that Lee Minho let them roam free at night, allowing them to come and go as they pleased. Often, they would stop at the entrance to the driveway and judge those who dared to walk by.</p><p> </p><p>Chan was the only one who was out late enough to see them or greet them.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, kitties,” he greeted as he approached, making a <em>pspspspsps </em>noise. Two of them mewed at him in reply, and Chan grinned. “Brought you a treat!”</p><p> </p><p>He crouched down at the entrance, then fished around in his pocket, where he kept a packet of cat treats. He dumped a few treats out, then tossed them to the cats that sat about ten feet away. They never drew any closer to him, always forming an impassible barrier to Lee Minho’s property. But that was okay. Although Chan would love to pet and kiss such cute kitties, he didn’t want to get his eyes clawed out.</p><p> </p><p>The cats immediately descended upon the thrown treats, then returned to their impassible barrier formation again. They all licked their lips at the same time, their glowing eyes on him once again.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have any more,” Chan said, showing his empty palms. “I can’t give you too many, otherwise you’ll get fat, and you dad will probably hate me.”</p><p> </p><p>Their gazes turned judgmental, as if they were saying, <em>Shame, shame, shame. We shall starve without your treats. You must give them to us!</em></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, nice try, but no,” Chan said. “I know for a fact that you get fed on the regular.”</p><p> </p><p>The cats twitched the same ear all at once but otherwise did nothing else.</p><p> </p><p>Chan smirked and finally stood. “Alright, I should get home. Long day at work. Had to deal with <em>Karen</em> again, if you can believe it. You guys will protect your dad for me against her, won’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>Another ear flick; this time the other one.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll take that as a yes.” Chan smiled, then put his hands in his pockets. “Alright. Bye, bye, kitties. See you tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>Then, with that, he continued on.</p><p> </p><p>Other than hearing increasingly strange information about Lee Minho, dealing with Karens, and feeding a couple of guardian cats, life in Yellowwood was somewhat boring and tedious, just like every other small town. Sometimes Chan wished for more, but he figured that he was in a good place for now, and that once he saved up enough, he could move to a more exciting and accepting place.</p><p> </p><p>But apparently Yellowwood <em>did</em> have more to offer.</p><p> </p><p>Chan was at work, naturally, when the news broke out. It spread like wildfire almost immediately, and the only kind of news with that kind of power was naturally about Lee Minho. Of course, Chan was like the rest of the town in this instance, where he just <em>had </em>to know what Lee Minho did now.</p><p> </p><p>He was shocked when he heard the news from Changbin and honestly thought it was a joke. But when he laughed, and Changbin’s face didn’t change, Chan said, “Oh shit, you’re serious.”</p><p> </p><p>“As the grave,” Changbin said. “Lee Minho seriously just started his own competition.”</p><p> </p><p>No wonder everyone was buzzing. This was finally their chance to win Lee Minho over!</p><p> </p><p>All you had to do was obtain a key. A key which was tied to the collar of his black cat. Once you gain the key and return it to Lee Minho, you’ll win the opportunity to go on one date with him. However, there will be no trespassing onto Lee Minho’s property in order to obtain such key; such violation will result in police involvement and disqualification. There would also be no chasing the cat after sunset or before sunrise. This was strictly a daily competition which would continue until someone obtained the key.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh god,” Chan said, already thinking about the obsessed girls.</p><p> </p><p>Let the competition begin!</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Chan had no plans on entering the competition. He’d observe from afar and only hope that someone other than Karen or her daughter Shanon won the date with Lee Minho. But really, he had no stakes in this game, especially since he was still considered to be new in town. An outsider, who hadn’t pined for years and years over Lee Minho, who hadn’t ached for just a scrap of news or a glimpse of such a man like the rest of the town.</p><p> </p><p>Or, that’s what he tried to tell himself when he walked home that night after the news of Lee Minho’s competition broke. He still walked by Lee Minho’s house, and he still stopped despite himself.</p><p> </p><p>There, sitting in the entrance to the driveway, was a single black cat.</p><p> </p><p>Chan blinked at it; the cat blinked back.</p><p> </p><p>Then Chan’s eyes went to the cat’s collar, where a small key was attached.</p><p> </p><p>So this was the cat for the competition. And yet, Chan thought he knew all of Lee Minho’s cats. He never knew about Lee Minho having a fourth cat, much less a black one. But, then again, maybe Lee Minho liked it that way; he probably had way more secrets and tricks up his sleeve than the townsfolk even knew.</p><p> </p><p>But still, Chan had a routine—he always stopped by Lee Minho’s house and gave the cats sitting there some treats. Might as well do the same with this cat.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, there,” Chan said, crouching down so he was more or less level with the cat. “I haven’t seen you before. You’re a pretty kitty.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat blinked slowly, unamused.</p><p> </p><p>Chan smirked, then said, “Well, your siblings know this already, but just in case they didn’t tell you, my name’s Chan. Want some treats?”</p><p> </p><p>He reached into his pocket and pulled out the treats. The cat’s ears twitched when it heard the crinkling of the package.</p><p> </p><p>Chan smiled, dumped a few treats into the palm of his hand, and tossed them to the cat. “Here you go! Best treats around, or so I’ve heard. Your siblings seem to like them a lot.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat looked down at the treats, then delicately ate only one. After a moment, it ate the others, but it never ventured any closer to Chan.</p><p> </p><p>Chan put the treats away, then smiled again. “Well, looks like you’re the one, huh?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat looked up, almost suspiciously.</p><p> </p><p>“I sure as hell hope you’re a fast cat and an escape artist, because you’ll need it,” Chan said. “There’s gonna be a <em>lot</em> of people chasing after you. A lot of crazy ones, too. Just watch out, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat blinked.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, look at me, warning a cat about running from crazy Karens.” Chan sighed and shook his head at himself before standing up. He brushed off his pants. “Alright. Good luck, kitty. Go hide inside for now. I don’t trust people around here to follow the rules. Bye, bye.”</p><p> </p><p>He gave a little wave to the cat, then turned and went on his way. And yet, as he walked away, the back of his neck prickled, like he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder, where the cat was still sitting in the middle of the driveway, watching him. From here, it almost looked like its eyes were glowing green.</p><p> </p><p>For some reason, though, this didn’t unnerve Chan; instead, it made him smile.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The next day, all hell broke loose.</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, this competition was not as easy as it seemed. The cat was fucking <em>fast</em>. And agile. And extremely skilled at escaping. It could disappear in the blink of an eye, squeeze through the smallest possible gap, and leap over impossibly high fences. It could weave in and out of dangerous traffic without fear and outrun people and bicycles and so on. The only thing it couldn’t outrun on speed alone was a car or motorcycle, but it was so agile that neither were a match anyways.</p><p> </p><p>By lunchtime, the whole town was frustrated from being thwarted time and time again by this damned cat. A lot of people already gave up and left the competition. But most refused to give up; sooner or later, they were going to catch that cat!</p><p> </p><p>Day One ended without anyone even coming within a few feet of the cat or the key. Chan couldn’t help snorting to himself as he walked home from work. Karen was absolutely <em>livid</em> tonight at the club, practically frothing at the mouth as she recounted how she body slammed a sixteen-year-old girl to the ground in order to get to the cat. Chan had never been so tempted to throw someone’s drink in their face in his life.</p><p> </p><p>He slowed to a stop by Lee Minho’s house, where, just like last night, the black cat sat in the center of the driveway.</p><p> </p><p>It was licking its paw and grooming itself, seemingly without a care in the world.</p><p> </p><p>Chan snorted at that and made a little <em>pspspspsps</em> sound. The cat froze, its ears perked and its eyes narrowed and suspicious, as it looked up at Chan.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just me,” Chan said, crouching down. “And don’t worry, I’m not here to chase you. That’s against the rules this late at night. Plus, I’m not even in this competition.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat blinked at that, like, <em>What? Why?</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan shrugged. “I don’t feel like I qualify. Can you imagine what would happen if a newbie like me snagged Lee Minho from the rest of the town? I’m pretty sure they’d bust out the pitchforks. Not to mention how they’re all pretty homophobic and couldn’t stand a <em>man</em> winning.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat seemed displeased at that.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyways.” Chan pulled out the packet of treats. “Treats, as usual.” He tossed a few to the cat, then stood up.</p><p> </p><p>He watched as the cat accepted the treats, then looked up at him with its giant eyes as if pleading for more.</p><p> </p><p>Chan laughed and said, “No more treats tonight! You only get a few per night.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat chirped at that. <em>That’s not fair! I want all the treats right now!!</em></p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no talking back.” Chan held up a finger. “More tomorrow. I promise.”</p><p> </p><p><em>Oh, fine</em>. The cat huffed but went back to guarding the entrance to the driveway. It still gave Chan the stink eye. <em>I’ll remember this.</em></p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure you will.” Chan smiled anyways. “Night, kitty. Sleep well! You have a big day tomorrow. Karen’s out for blood.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat snorted. <em>She doesn’t scare me</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, that makes one of us,” Chan said. “She scares the shit out of me.”</p><p> </p><p>The next day was somewhat uneventful. More people dropped out after a repeat of the events from the day prior. The cat was just too fast, too smart. People couldn’t keep up. Plus, the townsfolk weren’t the most athletic people in the world.</p><p> </p><p>The cat seemed smug and proud of itself for evading everyone yet again when Chan walked home that night.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p><em>Abso-fucking-lutely,</em> the cat seemed to say, growing even smugger. It even puffed out its chest a little and curled its tail around its paws.</p><p> </p><p>Chan laughed and tossed it more treats than usual. The cat purred happily.</p><p> </p><p>The third day was much more eventful. Right before sunset, news sparked through the town again like wildfire. <em>A winner!!</em> Someone got the key!</p><p> </p><p>Chan didn’t believe it for a moment. There was no way someone could have caught that cat. No fucking way.</p><p> </p><p>And yet, the woman who got it went right to the club that night. It was one of Karen’s rivals, another middle-aged woman named Stacy. She waved the key around and ordered several rounds of drinks to celebrate, her laugh somehow louder and more obnoxious than Karen’s.</p><p> </p><p>And Karen—oh, <em>Karen</em>. She sat on the other end of the bar with her little posse around her and glared daggers at Stacy. Chan swore the glass was going to shatter in her hand. Yet Stacy remained oblivious to the death glare turned her way. She continued to laugh and brag and drink like a fish. Maybe she was just stupid. Or maybe she was ignoring Karen on purpose. Baiting her.</p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn’t help exchanging glances with Changbin, the tension nearly unbearable. They might actually have their first fight tonight. Changbin just nodded at Chan, signaling that he was prepared to intervene if need be. As badly as Chan wanted to see Changbin wrangle Karen and literally throw her out of the bar, he didn’t want Changbin to get hurt.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the rubber band snapped, and Karen stormed over to Stacy. She wrenched the key right out of her hand and held it up, as if to see it better in the light. Stacy let out a squawk—a literal <em>squawk</em>—and lunged for the key, nearly toppling over the bar, but Karen held it out of her reach.</p><p> </p><p>“This,” she declared, “is a <em>fake</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>The whole club slammed to a stop. Few people dared to even breathe.</p><p> </p><p>Chan and Changbin exchanged glances.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought it was unbelievable that a pig such as yourself would be fast enough to catch that cat,” Karen continued, shooting Stacy a look. “And it turns out I was right. This is a fake key.” Then, with that, she flicked the key back at Stacy. It hit Stacy right in between the eyes. Chan could practically hear the hollow sound it made from where he stood.</p><p> </p><p>That seemed to snap Stacy out of her shock. “You <em>bitch—</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“You really should get back into pilates, Stacy,” Karen said, smirking. “You’re looking a little plump, especially around the middle.”</p><p> </p><p>Then, with that, she turned on her heel and sashayed away, ignoring the enraged roar Stacy let out behind her.</p><p> </p><p>Chan somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout the rest of his shift, but the moment he walked home, he started laughing. And he couldn’t stop laughing until he got to Lee Minho’s house, where the black cat sat, seeming to wait for him.</p><p> </p><p>The cat let out a little <em>prrrp </em>in question, its eyes bright and curious, when Chan walked up laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god,” Chan said, sitting down across from the cat. “You would not <em>believe</em> what I just had to witness. Two Karens going at each other’s throats, fighting over <em>you</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>The cat seemed pleased at this. It chirped again, saying, <em>Tell me more, tell me more!</em></p><p> </p><p>“One of them claimed that they had gotten the key, and was lauding it over the place,” Chan said. “Totally baiting the crap out of the other Karen. You could feel the tension rising. I’m surprised she didn’t break the glass in her hand. She looked like she was gonna have an aneurysm!”</p><p> </p><p>The cat snorted at that.</p><p> </p><p>“That was one of the tensest situations I’ve ever sat through,” Chan said. “I think nuclear war negotiations are less stressful than that. Oh my god, Karen just tore into Stacy—”</p><p> </p><p>He broke off into a laugh again. The cat purred, like it was laughing with him.</p><p> </p><p>“In the end, it was a fake, I mean, clearly.” Chan gestured to the key still clearly visible around the cat’s neck. “But god, that was intense. That was like a bad reality show. So awful, yet I couldn’t look away.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat purred some more, and Chan finally dug out his treats and tossed them to the cat.</p><p> </p><p>“Good job, kitty,” Chan said. “You’re dismantling the oppressive reign of Karens all on your own!”</p><p> </p><p>The cat stood up and seemed to literally bow to him before it ate the treats off the ground. It definitely had the smuggest look Chan had ever seen on its face. This cat knew the chaos it was causing and was <em>relishing </em>in it.</p><p> </p><p>“You truly are a harbinger of the end,” Chan said with a smile. “But not for everyone. Just for the Karens.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat shrugged, like, <em>That’s what I do.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan smiled so widely his face almost hurt, and the cat deadass seemed to smile back. Its green eyes literally sparkled. It was purring, too, and Chan realized that it hadn’t stopped purring since Chan got here.</p><p> </p><p>“You cute little demon,” Chan said. Then he sighed and stood up, brushing off his pants.</p><p> </p><p>The cat immediately let out another chirp, this one sadder. <em>Going already?</em></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, sorry, kitty,” Chan said. “I’m exhausted.” He rubbed his eyes, sighing again. “I know I joke about work a lot, but it really takes a lot out of me. I don’t really sleep well anyways, so…”</p><p> </p><p>The cat chirped once again, then stepped closer, as if it was going to comfort Chan. But then it seemed to catch itself and stopped. It looked down at the ground, seemed to have a debate by itself, and then stepped back before sitting down again. It looked up at Chan and mewed.</p><p> </p><p>Chan didn’t know what it was trying to say this time, so he just gave a soft smile and said, “Bye, bye, kitty. See you tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat mewed sadly as Chan turned and walked away. This time, Chan liked to think that the cat was saying, <em>Goodnight. Come back soon</em>.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The following day, Lee Minho broke his silence on the competition.</p><p> </p><p>Stacy, due to her clear deception, was disqualified. No one was surprised there, but they were surprised as to how Lee Minho knew. More gossip spread, this time whispering that Lee Minho had eyes and ears everywhere, and that some people were his minions. His spies! They were like puppets, controlled entirely by him through his charms. Only a vampire could do such a thing on such a grand scale!</p><p> </p><p>Chan rolled his eyes. The more obvious explanation was that Lee Minho had some sort of social media and watched everything unfold from there. Stacy wasn’t exactly discrete about her obtaining the key, as she posted it all over Facebook and even live-streamed herself waving the key around and shouting, “AAAAAAAH I GOT IT! AHAHAHA I GOT IT!!!”</p><p> </p><p>Yeah. She wasn’t the smartest person around.</p><p> </p><p>After that, though, the competition went back to being uneventful. More people gave up each day, claiming that it wasn’t worth it. Soon, the buzz died down, and after a week or so, people stopped talking about it.</p><p> </p><p>Chan wondered if this was Lee Minho’s plan, to get people to lose interest in him so he could finally live his life in peace. If that was the case, then that was both risky and impressive. Though, Chan had a feeling that Lee Minho knew more about these people than they even knew about themselves. So of course he would know how best to manipulate them to get what he wants.</p><p> </p><p>The only person who wasn’t backing down, though, was Karen. Now, she had zero competition, so the key was practically hers for the taking.</p><p> </p><p>That made Chan even more nervous and worried for the poor cat. Not like there was really anything he could do, though.</p><p> </p><p>While he worked the night shift and got home well after three a.m., he wasn’t always asleep during the day like he should be. Sure, he got a couple hours of sleep from like…four a.m. to noon, but they weren’t always consecutive. They were more like little power naps here and there. He almost always woke up exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>On the days when he couldn’t sleep at all, he just lazed around his small house, waiting for the hours to tick by before it was time to get ready for work. Fortunately, the days were getting longer, so his seasonal depression was improving somewhat. He started to sit out on his porch and absorb some sunlight. It almost always improved his mood.</p><p> </p><p>Today, he just so happened to be sitting on his front porch, curled up in a chair, dozing off. The neighborhood was peaceful, full of nothing but the chirping of birds and the distant happy shouts of children playing.</p><p> </p><p>That is, until a bloodcurdling yowl shattered the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Chan’s eyes flew open as a blur of black streaked across his front lawn, followed by a snarling dog.</p><p> </p><p>Chan sat bolt-upright in his chair as the black streak disappeared under his front porch, and the dog went right after it, snarling and growling and barking. It truly was a terrifying sound. Chan had grown up around dogs, and he loved dogs, but he had never heard a dog sound so aggressive or malicious. He was instantly on edge as the dog tried to dig under his front porch, only to be repelled by a flash of black and another loud yowl. The dog backed up and barked and growled before lunging again.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Chan yelled, getting up. He grabbed his jacket that hung off the back of his chair and swung it in front of him as he walked down the stairs. “Hey, get out of here!”</p><p> </p><p>The dog barked and snarled at him, and Chan took a step back. Of all dogs, this was a pitbull. Pitbulls…were not nice dogs. At all. Of course, some pitbulls were sweet and gentle, but not this dog.</p><p> </p><p>Chan took a deep breath and swung his jacket more, shouting in his most aggressive voice, “Get out of here! Come on, get!”</p><p> </p><p>By some miracle, the dog turned and ran away, but not without snarling at Chan one last time.</p><p> </p><p>Chan breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to his porch. He dropped his jacket, ran down the stairs, and crouched by the small hole under the porch, where that black blur disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>Upon crouching down, he was greeted with a loud hiss and a clawed paw batting at him. He jerked backwards, now seeing that it was not just a black cat, but <em>the</em> black cat—Lee Minho’s cat—curled into a tight, trembling ball, hissing at him.</p><p> </p><p>Chan blinked in surprise, then said in his most soothing voice, “Hey, hey, it’s me. It’s me. You’re safe now.”</p><p> </p><p>The moment the cat heard his voice, it stopped hissing. It seemed to relax completely as its fur flattened, but it didn’t make any move to crawl out from under his porch.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, you can come out,” Chan said, backing up and patting the ground. “Come on. It’s safe. I’ll get you back home.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat hesitated, giving a small, terrified mew in response. But eventually, it crawled out from under the porch. And once it did, Chan’s breath caught.</p><p> </p><p>The cat was holding its front paw up gingerly. Even against its black fur, Chan could see a gash and some blood soaking into it.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no,” Chan whispered. “You’re hurt. Did that dog bite you?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat just stared at him, looking like it was about to bolt.</p><p> </p><p>Chan took a deep breath and held out his hand, palm up. “Come on, kitty. I won’t hurt you. Just let me take a look at your paw.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat stared at him for a few moments more before finally creeping towards him. Chan held his breath as the cat crouched in front of his hand and sniffed at it. When it finally deemed Chan not a threat, it stepped a little bit closer and brushed its head against Chan’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>Chan slowly moved and gently stroked the cat’s head. The cat purred at the touch and seemed to lose all inhibitions. It crawled closer, letting Chan stroke its back.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to pick you up, okay? I’m going to pick you up and carry you into my house. Then I’ll look at your paw.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat seemed to nod. It let out another small mew before Chan gingerly picked it up and carried it inside.</p><p> </p><p>This cat stared at him from on top of the kitchen island the entire time Chan examined the bite wound. Chan wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. He didn’t think the cat looked away for even a split second. It just stared at him, unblinking.</p><p> </p><p>Chan just figured it was instinct. The cat was watching for any wrong move, for any moment when it would have to escape. Even though Chan tried to soothe it by petting it gently, the cat continued to stare.</p><p> </p><p>As for the wound, luckily it wasn’t too serious. Chan cleaned it the best he could, then wrapped a soft bandage around it. The moment he was done, the cat purred and licked his hand, as if saying thank you.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re seriously the cutest,” Chan said with a sigh, petting the cat’s head. “I don’t know if that dog had rabies, though, so…I hope you’ve had your rabies shot.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat just blinked up at him, its eyes enormous.</p><p> </p><p>Chan smiled. “You’ve been a good, good kitty. How about some treats, huh? I just went to the store and bought a whole bag of treats just for you.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat chirped at that as Chan went to grab the treats. He fed no less than about five treats to that damn cat, just because the cat kept using its best begging look. Besides, the cat had had a rough day. It deserved all the treats in the world.</p><p> </p><p>The next part, though, was a bit harder.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright,” Chan said with a sigh. “You need to go home.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat mewed at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Usually I would just let you go home by yourself, but I don’t think it’s safe for you to do that,” Chan said. He sighed again and put his hands on his hips. “So…I guess I’ll have to take you.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat blinked at him, its tail twitching.</p><p> </p><p>Chan didn’t want to be seen in broad daylight carrying this cat to Lee Minho’s house while in the middle of a competition. Not only would Karen probably find a way to skin him alive for joining the competition right in the middle of it, but Chan also didn’t want to trespass on Lee Minho’s property.</p><p> </p><p>Though, he had to admit, he did feel a jolt of excitement when he thought about seeing Lee Minho face-to-face again.</p><p> </p><p>Chan finally sighed and decided it would be best if he just waited until his shift tonight. He could drop the cat off on his way to work. In the meantime, the cat could sleep and recover a bit. Chan would also write a note explaining the situation and attach it to the cat’s collar. Hopefully Lee Minho wouldn’t kill him.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, kitty, I’ll take you home when I go to work, okay? For now, just relax for a little bit. You’re safe.” Chan stroked the cat’s back before picking it up and gently placing it on the floor, just so the cat wouldn’t hurt itself jumping down from the counter. Then he turned and went into the living room, where he sat down on the couch. He picked up his laptop from the coffee table and was about to set it on his lap when a blur of black beat him to it.</p><p> </p><p>The cat hopped onto his lap, curled up, and went right to sleep, purring loudly the entire time.</p><p> </p><p>Chan snorted and stroked the cat’s back. The cat purred even louder, if that was possible. Chan couldn’t help laughing at that, the happiness bubbling up in his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a good kitty,” Chan whispered. “You’re a good, good kitty.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat stayed on his lap for the rest of the afternoon, like it was the safest place in the world.</p><p> </p><p>By the time it was time to leave for work, Chan couldn’t help feeling sad about parting with the cat so soon. It was starting to rain a little when he opened his front door, so he decided to pick up the cat and zip it into the front of his jacket. The cat never looked happier, purring and smiling as Chan started his walk to work.</p><p> </p><p>Soon Lee Minho’s driveway came up, and Chan slowed to stop. With a sigh, he unzipped his jacket and gently placed the cat on the ground. The cat immediately turned to look up at him, now looking sad.</p><p> </p><p>“Stay safe, okay, kitty?” Chan said. “Bye, bye.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat mewed at him. It was a small, pitiful sound that tugged at Chan’s heartstrings.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll see you tonight after my shift, maybe, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Another mew, but this time in acceptance. <em>Ah, okay.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Try to tell your dad not to kill me, please.” Chan had attached a note to the cat’s collar, but he wasn’t sure the kind of temperament Lee Minho had. Hopefully Lee Minho wouldn’t make him pay for his cat’s vet visit.</p><p> </p><p>The cat brushed up against Chan’s legs, meowing, <em>Goodbye. I’ll miss you.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan laughed softly and stroked the cat’s back. Then, with a small wave, he turned and walked to work.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The following day, Chan was at home, fixing up a sandwich for lunch, when he heard a loud, “MEOWWWW!!” at the front door.</p><p> </p><p>Chan frowned, wiped his hands on a towel, and went to the front door. Upon opening it, he found the black cat sitting there, smiling up at him, its tail twitching happily around its front paws.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, hello there,” Chan said, smiling. “Can I help you?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat meowed before prancing right inside, acting like it owned the place.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, please, please, make yourself at home,” Chan teased, shutting the front door and walking back into the kitchen. The cat was already on the island, sniffing at Chan’s sandwich. “Hey, hey, no eating my sandwich. I’ve been looking forward to that all day!”</p><p> </p><p>The cat snorted but sat back, where it lifted its paw and started licking it.</p><p> </p><p>“How’s the paw?” Chan asked, noticing that the cat didn’t have the bandage on anymore. “Your dad didn’t want to kill me, did he?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat ignored him, continuing to groom itself.</p><p> </p><p>Chan snorted and started to eat his sandwich. “Y’know,” he said through a mouthful of food, “it’s kinda gross to clean yourself on the counter where I make my food.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat meowed in response, like, <em>That’s your problem.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” Chan said. “Just wow.”</p><p> </p><p>He carried his sandwich out onto the porch, with the cat right on his heels. The moment he sat down, the cat hopped right onto his lap again. Chan anticipated this, which was why he held his plate up and out of the way while the cat got comfortable. The two of them sat out there, enjoying the sunlight, the cat purring away while Chan ate his sandwich.</p><p> </p><p>The cat stayed for the rest of the day, laying on Chan’s lap and following Chan around if he got up and moved. Then, when it was time for work, the cat chirped before launching itself right at Chan. Chan, also having anticipated this, caught the cat and zipped it into his hoodie, leaving its little head to poke out. Once again, Chan walked to work like this, with the cat purring away, its eyes closed in contentment.</p><p> </p><p>This became their new routine; the cat always came over in the afternoon, right when Chan was waking up. They’d eat lunch together, then curl up on the couch or out on the porch. Then, when it was time for work, Chan would zip the cat up in his hoodie and carry it to Lee Minho’s house. Even when the weather grew considerably warmer, Chan still wore his hoodie, and he still zipped up the cat in it.</p><p> </p><p>After a few days of this passed, Chan started to worry about what Lee Minho thought, and decided to attach another note to the cat’s collar. Basically, the note said, <em>Hi, your cat has been coming over to my house at this____address for quite some time now. Just wanted to let you know so you didn’t think I was stealing your cat. Also, you don’t have to worry about me taking the key—I’m not in the competition anyways. Sincerely, Bang Chan. P.S. please don’t be mad at me, you’ve got a great cat here &gt;&lt;</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan half expected the cat to stop coming after he sent that note, but to his surprise, the next day, the cat showed up with a note of its own on its collar.</p><p> </p><p><em>Dear Bang Chan,</em> the note read, in beautiful, neat handwriting, <em>Thank you for taking such good care of my cat. You seem like a lovely, kind person, so I’m not worried about you stealing my cat or the key. If anything, I’m grateful that you’re protecting my cat from some other malicious competitors. Sincerely, Lee Minho. P.S. I could never be mad at you :) P.P.S. My cat loves you a lot.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan felt his face heat up at the sight of the note. He was vaguely aware of the cat studying him intently, like it was worried about Chan’s reaction.</p><p> </p><p>Chan finally fanned his face and laughed a little as he looked at the cat. “Good news,” he said. “Lee Minho doesn’t hate me!”</p><p> </p><p>The cat deadass rolled its eyes and meowed, <em>Duh.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Hey, don’t give me that attitude.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan then scribbled down another note for Lee Minho. After he did that, he reclined on his couch and watched some Netflix before it was time to go to work. The cat decided that Chan’s chest and the crook of his neck was the absolute <em>best</em> napping spot and took up its residence there.</p><p> </p><p><em>Dear Lee Minho</em>, the note read,<em> Phew! I’m so glad you’re not mad at me! By the way, what’s your cat’s name??? He’s so cute and sweet!! I love him too!! Sincerely, Bang Chan.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan was smiling to himself as he walked to work, carrying the cat in his hoodie.</p><p> </p><p><em>Dear Bang Chan,</em> Lee Minho wrote the next day when the cat showed up at the same time without fail, <em>He doesn’t have a name. Sincerely, Lee Minho.</em></p><p> </p><p><em>Dear Lee Minho,</em> Chan wrote back, <em>He doesn’t have a name?!?! How is that possible?? He needs a name. A really, really cute one. Sincerely, Bang Chan.</em></p><p> </p><p><em>Well,</em> Minho wrote,<em> How about you come up with a name for him?</em></p><p> </p><p><em>Oh, no,</em> Chan said, <em>I wouldn’t want to impose like that.</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No, really. I insist. I would love to hear your ideas.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Well…I’m terrible at naming things but, uh…how about…Lee Minho Junior? Or…um…Rhino? I don’t know where that came from. Or, honestly, we could just name him Kitty. P.S. Sorry for my terrible naming skills &gt;&lt;</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>Haha</em>—Lee Minho literally wrote out “ha ha”—<em>those are pretty terrible. Sorry, not sorry :))) I think we can call him “kitty” for now.</em></p><p> </p><p>Chan’s ears almost burned off from how red they turned when he read that note. <em>Kitty it is, </em>he wrote back with a blush and a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Their correspondence like that only continued for a week.</p><p> </p><p>Then, one day, Kitty didn’t show up.</p><p> </p><p>Chan was in his kitchen, scrolling through Twitter on his phone, waiting for the familiar loud “MEOW!!” at his front door. But as the minutes ticked by, no sound came. Chan finally straightened up and checked the time; it was already one p.m. Kitty always came around twelve, or twelve-thirty at the absolute latest. So where was he?</p><p> </p><p>Chan pocketed his phone and went to the front door. Opening it up, he looked around his porch, but he didn’t see any black cat.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe Kitty was hiding. Trying to prank him. He was pretty stubborn, so naturally he’d wait as long as it took to prank Chan.</p><p> </p><p>So Chan smiled and said teasingly, “Wow, I wonder where such a smart kitty could be…he couldn’t be hiding around waiting to sneak attack me, now, could he?”</p><p> </p><p>There was no response; not even a faint shuffling.</p><p> </p><p>“Could he?” Chan tried again.</p><p> </p><p>Still nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Chan was starting to get worried. He stepped out onto the porch, calling, “Kitty? <em>Pspspspspsp</em>. Here, buddy. Come on, I have some snacks for you…!”</p><p><br/>
No response.</p><p> </p><p>Chan waited out on the porch for a few more minutes, then checked the time on his phone. When Kitty still didn’t show up after thirty minutes, his concern got the best of him. He finally left his house and walked down the street, scanning for any flash of black. Other people smiled at him when he passed them, and he smiled and nodded in reply. But once they were gone, he started calling out softly for Kitty, even crinkling the treat packet in his hand. Kitty never came running.</p><p> </p><p>Chan finally reached Lee Minho’s house. He stopped in that one specific spot on the road and peered down the driveway at the house, wondering if he should go knock on Lee Minho’s door and ask for his cat. But then he remembered that Lee Minho rarely answered the door for anyone, and how Chan might be seen as trespassing on his property in the middle of this competition. So Chan continued on, still calling out softly for Kitty.</p><p> </p><p>Just as he reached the end of Lee Minho’s street, there was a rustling of leaves, and suddenly a grey blur shot out from under a white picket fence. It ran in front of Chan, blocking his path. Chan stopped, thinking it was that dog again, when he recognized the grey blur in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>It was the little grey and white tabby, one of the three Chan used to regularly see on his way home from work before the competition started.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Chan said. “You’re one of Lee Minho’s cats! I don’t know your name, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>The cat mewed at him, its eyes wide and panicked. It turned and ran, then stopped when it was a few feet away. It turned to look back at Chan and mewed again.</p><p> </p><p>“You want me to follow you?” Chan asked.</p><p> </p><p>The cat mewed a third time before turning and running off again. This time, Chan ran after it.</p><p> </p><p>The little tabby led him to another part of the neighborhood, specifically to a little alleyway area in between a couple of houses. There, right by a couple of trashcans and a parked car, the little tabby stopped and turned to Chan. It mewed one last time.</p><p> </p><p>As Chan approached, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He jumped, a little too tense after this whole ordeal, but relaxed when he saw that it was one of the orange and white tabbies. It had hopped onto the top of a trashcan. The third and final cat from Lee Minho’s appeared by the car.</p><p> </p><p>All three of them mewed at him at the same time before looking pointedly at a place behind the trashcans.</p><p> </p><p>Chan crouched down beside the trashcan and moved it out of the way, only to gasp at what he saw.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no,” he said.</p><p> </p><p>There, in a metal cage designed for humanely catching vermin, was Kitty.</p><p> </p><p>The black cat mewed when he saw Chan, his eyes widening hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, Kitty!” Chan pulled the metal cage towards him. “How did you get in here? I thought you were too smart to be trapped like this.”</p><p> </p><p>Kitty mewed again, this time pathetically.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, I’ll get you out.” Chan turned his attention to the cage. After a few moments of studying the trap, he figured out how to pry open the trap door. The instant the door was open, Kitty shot out of it, nearly scraping his back on the edge of the trap door. He sprang up onto Chan’s shoulder and curled around his neck, trembling.</p><p> </p><p>Chan let the trap close and kicked it back behind the trashcan. Then he reached up and stroked Kitty to comfort him.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s all good, now, you’re—”</p><p> </p><p>Chan didn’t get to finish his sentence when he heard the familiar voice of a woman echoing down the alleyway.</p><p> </p><p>In a flash, Chan jumped up and hid behind the parked car, hugging Kitty to his chest. Lee Minho’s three other cats turned and vanished. Chan held his breath, listening as Karen’s obnoxious voice filled the alleyway, drawing closer and closer.</p><p> </p><p>She was on the phone, complaining about something as she loudly clopped along in her heels. Chan leaned down to look under the car, watching as her feet drew closer and closer to the trashcans.</p><p> </p><p>“—I know and I was just like—” Karen suddenly cut off as she moved the trashcan out of the way. When she saw that the trap was empty, she gasped and dropped down onto one knee. Then she grabbed at the trap, as if to check that it really was empty and that her eyes weren’t deceiving her. A moment later, she let out a guttural yell that made both Chan and Kitty jump.</p><p> </p><p>“THAT FUCKING CAT!” Karen yelled. There was a crash that made Chan and Kitty flinch once again. Karen had thrown the empty trap down the alleyway. “I set a trap for it and EVERYTHING and it STILL found a way to get out! That fucking—GAH!” She screamed in frustration. “I swear to GOD I’m going to get that cat and that key if it’s the last thing I do. If I have to run that cat over with my car and pry that key off its mangled little vermin body, I will.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan wrapped his arms around Kitty tighter.</p><p> </p><p>Karen took a deep breath, then continued talking on the phone like nothing was wrong. “Anyways, Susan, I went all the way to that grocery store on the other side of town, hoping for their special vegan dish, only for it to be <em>completely</em> sold out, and they wouldn’t even—”</p><p> </p><p>She kept talking, this time sounding like she was walking back the way she came. Chan checked under the car one more time, making sure her feet were far away, before he turned and ran in the opposite direction, hugging Kitty tightly to his chest. He made a gigantic loop of the neighborhood, taking the long way home to avoid crossing paths with Karen at all. By the time he got home, he was out of breath and shaking, but at least Kitty was safe.</p><p> </p><p>He shut the door behind him and let out a massive sigh before sagging against it. All of his strength faded from him, and he slid down the door to the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god,” he told Kitty in his arms. “That…was close. That was so fucking close. If I had just been a few minutes later…”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t want to think about it. He shook his head and buried his face in Kitty’s fur. Kitty made a little <em>prrp</em> noise as if to comfort him.</p><p> </p><p>“But you’re safe now,” Chan said, lifting his face and stroking Kitty’s little head. “You’re safe. And I really hope your little kitty siblings are safe, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Kitty chirped before stepping up to rub his head against Chan’s cheek. Chan nuzzled into the touch and kissed Kitty on the head.</p><p> </p><p>“Now that that’s over with, how about a nap?” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>Kitty purred in reply, letting Chan carry him to the couch. Chan had only just settled down with Kitty curled up on his chest when there was a loud, “MEOW!!” at the front door.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Chan looked at Kitty in confusion. “But you’re right here…”</p><p> </p><p>Kitty meowed in reply and leapt off of Chan’s lap. He pranced up to the front door and meowed again before looking at Chan pointedly.</p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed and got up to open the door. He found three little kitties sitting in a row on his front porch, all three of them blinking up at him, trying to look as pleading as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m guessing Kitty invited you,” Chan said to Lee Minho’s three other cats. “I hope your dad is okay with this.”</p><p> </p><p>The cats didn’t even bother replying before slipping inside, one by one. Chan sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling.</p><p> </p><p>After shutting and locking the front door, Chan finally settled down on the couch one last time. And the moment he did, Kitty stole the spot on his chest, and the three other cats found other places on the couch or on Chan where they could sleep. All of a sudden Chan was quite literally covered in purring cats. But hey, he wasn’t complaining.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to need more treats,” Chan said. Kitty just chirped in reply, already dozing off.</p><p> </p><p>Chan wasn’t even asleep for an hour before a loud banging on his front door woke him up. He jolted awake, disrupting all of the sleeping cats sprawled out across the couch and on top of him. Kitty immediately perked up, the hair on the back of his neck beginning to fluff up.</p><p> </p><p>Chan fully intended to just ignore whoever was knocking and go back to sleep, but the knocking came again, this time much harder and louder, to the point where it sounded like someone was breaking into his house. Kitty started hissing.</p><p> </p><p>“BANG CHAN!” Karen roared outside.</p><p> </p><p>That was definitely not a good sign.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit,” Chan muttered, picking Kitty up and placing him gently on the floor. The other cats fled to hiding places of their own, but Kitty stayed right by Chan, hissing at the front door.</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, go hide,” Chan whispered at Kitty, nudging him with his foot. “Go, go. She can’t see you.”</p><p> </p><p>Kitty remained steadfast. Chan finally sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to convince the stubborn cat.</p><p> </p><p>Taking a deep breath, he opened the front door.</p><p> </p><p>Karen stood out front, her face bright red with fury.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Karen,” Chan said in the friendliest voice he could muster. “You caught me at a bad time. Could you come back—”</p><p> </p><p>“Give me my cat,” Karen snarled, pointing a manicured finger in his face. “I know you have it and I’m not leaving until you give it to me.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan frowned. “What cat? I didn’t know you had a cat. I thought you had a dog. Specifically, a pitbull?”</p><p> </p><p>Karen suddenly shoved at his door, as if attempting to force herself into Chan’s house. Chan, fortunately, was much stronger than her and kept the door mostly shut.</p><p> </p><p>“I saw you free that damned cat from the trap!” Karen snarled. “You don’t think I set cameras everywhere to make sure some fat cow like Stacy or some skinny teenage bitch didn’t steal my prize?!”</p><p> </p><p>She wrenched out her phone and shoved it in Chan’s face. “IS THIS NOT YOU? HUH? IS THAT NOT YOU FREEING MY CAT?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not your cat!” Chan pushed the phone out of his face. “I suggest you leave right now before I call the cops.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, what are they gonna do, huh?” Karen shoved at him again. “Huh? Drag me off this property? You know, my brother-in-law is a real estate agent—he could take your house from you right now!” With every word, she grew more and more hysterical, to the point where she was spitting in Chan’s face. “You can’t touch me! I <em>own</em> this town!”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, we’re done here.” Chan tried to shut the door in her face, but Karen was faster. She slammed her shoulder right into the door, in a moment of strength that briefly caught Chan off-guard and overpowered him. He stumbled, and she used the opportunity to wiggle herself right through the gap in the doorway, getting right into Chan’s house.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to rip this house apart!” Karen shrieked. Fortunately, she didn’t get very far before Chan grabbed onto her arm and wrenched her backwards. She started fighting back, screaming, “GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! Don’t touch me! You don’t have there right to touch me!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll let go of you once you get out of my house,” Chan replied, remaining calm despite the tense situation.</p><p> </p><p>“I have a <em>right</em> to be here! You stole something that’s MINE!” Karen twisted and wriggled and screamed. She tried to kick him repeatedly, and she caught him in the shin, which made Chan’s eyes water from the pain. But he managed to wrap his arms around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. Then he more or less threw her out of his house.</p><p> </p><p>Karen hit the porch and bounced back up before realizing it was in her best interests to appear wounded. She immediately fell back to the porch, clutching her arm and screaming, “Assault! Assault! Help me! Help! This man is trying to assault me!”</p><p> </p><p>“Seriously? You’re on <em>my</em> property!” Chan said, exasperated.</p><p> </p><p>Karen realized that no one was going to come, so she bounced right back onto her feet and threw herself at Chan’s front door once again. Chan caught her, but then she twisted once again and clawed him in the face.</p><p> </p><p>Chan cried out in pain as her acrylic nails cut into his skin. He released her and stumbled backwards, letting the front door fall open.</p><p> </p><p>Right as Karen thought that she finally beat Chan, a voice exploded from inside the house.</p><p> </p><p>“ENOUGH!”</p><p> </p><p>Both Chan and Karen froze and looked down the hallway, where none other than Lee Minho stood, looking livid. Even though he wore a black, fluffy sweater that should have made him look harmless, the glare he wore with it made him look so terrifying that both Chan and Karen backed away.</p><p> </p><p>Chan knew he wasn’t in the wrong and shouldn’t be afraid of Lee Minho, but he couldn’t stop the spike of fear that shot through him. Karen, on the other hand, regained her composure and lifted her chin defiantly.</p><p> </p><p>“Lee Minho,” she began, but Minho interrupted her.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you <em>ever</em> lay a finger on him again.”</p><p> </p><p>The words came out as a growl, and Minho’s eyes flashed dangerously. Both Chan and Karen were shocked for a few moments, but Karen was still unafraid.</p><p> </p><p>She jabbed a clawed finger at Chan, who still held his bleeding face with one hand. “This man has stolen what’s rightfully mine. Not only that, but he’s <em>cheated</em> in your competition. I demand that he be disqualified and that the cat and the key be returned to me, since I rightfully obtained them.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho scoffed at that. “Rightfully obtained them? You think I’m an idiot? If anyone’s the cheater, it’s you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have played fairly this entire time!” Karen said, placing a hand on her chest as if shocked that Minho would insult her honor. “But Bang Chan, he—”</p><p> </p><p>“—won,” Minho interrupted. “He won.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan looked at him in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>Minho smiled at him before looking back at Karen, where all the warmth in his face vanished, replaced by a murderous glare. “Congratulations, Karen, you completely missed the entire point of the competition.”</p><p> </p><p>“How dare you declare <em>him</em> the winner!” Karen exclaimed. “He wasn’t even competing! He was <em>cheating </em>by grabbing the cat and keeping it in his house—”</p><p> </p><p>“He didn’t grab the cat,” Minho retorted. “He befriended it. That’s how you win. You can’t outrun or outsmart the cat. But you can befriend it. Did you really think that I would go on a date with someone who had lied and cheated and bullied their way to victory? Do you <em>really</em> think I would want to be with someone like that? The answer is <em>no</em>. You completely missed the point. You’re disqualified, Karen.”</p><p> </p><p>Karen’s face twisted with rage. A vein popped out of her forehead. “YOU CAN’T DISQUALIFY ME!” she screamed, lunging towards Minho. Chan grabbed her and wrenched her backwards before she could touch Minho. Minho didn’t even flinch; he just smiled icily at Karen, who continued to scream and fight. “I WON! I WON! YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME! I DEMAND MY REWARD! GIVE ME MY REWARD YOU FUCKING—”</p><p> </p><p>Chan managed to throw her out of the house one last time, right as police sirens filled the air. Both Chan and Karen froze and looked up as two police cars pulled into Chan’s driveway. The police officers immediately got out of their cars and marched up the driveway.</p><p> </p><p>Karen broke into a relieved grin as she wailed, “Officers! Officers! This man is attacking me! He’s assaulting me! I’ve been trying to get away this whole time, but he keeps grabbing me and touching me in disgusting ways! He—”</p><p> </p><p>“You have the right to remain silent,” one of the officers said, grabbing Karen and wrenching her arms behind her back.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Karen was shocked for a moment before she realized what was happening. Then she started kicking and screaming again. “NO! HOW DARE YOU! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! YOU CAN’T ARREST ME! IT’S NOT ME! I’M INNOCENT! GET HIM, HE’S THE ONE! HE’S THE ONE, CAN’T YOU SEE? OFFICER!!”</p><p> </p><p>Chan stared in horror at the sight before him. He was so shocked that he didn’t notice Minho had stepped up beside him, smiling. Minho nodded at one of the officers, who nodded back, before Minho shut the front door, cutting off the scene. The house fell into silence.</p><p> </p><p>Chan jumped when the door shut, finally snapping out of it. He looked at Minho, but the moment their eyes met, he turned bright red and looked away. He was all too aware suddenly of how close Minho was standing next to him, to the point where Chan could feel the heat radiating from him.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?” Minho asked softly, a complete 180 from the cold, snarling tone he used on Karen a minute ago.</p><p> </p><p>“Me?” Chan cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. What about you? You had to fight Karen like that.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, Chan,” Minho said, and a shiver went down Chan’s spine at the way his name sounded in Minho’s voice. “But you—you <em>literally</em> fought Karen. She clawed you in the face—” He reached out as though to touch Chan’s face.</p><p> </p><p>Chan panicked and took a step back, his face still burning. “It’s okay, really. It’s nothing. Just a scratch. I’ve had worse.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho nodded, but his lips were pressed into a thin line, and his brows were furrowed.</p><p> </p><p>Chan glanced at him before asking, “Uh, how did you even get here?”</p><p> </p><p>Minho opened his mouth to respond, but then Chan held up a hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, I bet I know the answer,” he said. “You just appeared here. You materialized out of a shadow. You really are that magical.”</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, I just went through the front door,” Minho said with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Chan frowned. “You did? I didn’t see you. You must have been fast.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho just smiled at that. His smile looked unbelievably fond—too fond for only their second meeting. Chan quickly looked away, remembering something else.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I bet you want your cat,” he said. “I don’t know where Kitty ran off to. I also have your other three cats because they all showed up on my front porch and then invited themselves in the moment I opened the door. Let me get them for you—here, Kitty! Come here, bud! Your dad’s here!”</p><p> </p><p>Minho snorted as Chan went down the hallway, making a little <em>pspspsps</em> noise and promising treats. Yet none of the cats appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“I swear they’re here,” Chan said to Minho, now starting to panic. Where did those cats <em>go</em>? “Here, Kitty! I’ll give you treats! All the treats in the world!”</p><p> </p><p>“All the treats in the world?” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>Chan glanced at him, suddenly worried again. “Oh, uh. No. A bit of an exaggeration. You know how cats are.”</p><p> </p><p>“I do,” Minho said, his eyes sparkling. Chan really didn’t know why Minho was finding him so amusing. He was basically making a fool out of himself. Unless Minho was into that? Was he morosexual?</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I swear he’s around here somewhere…” Chan looked around the living room one last time before he felt a hand on his arm.</p><p> </p><p>“Chan,” Minho said softly. “We need to talk.”</p><p> </p><p>“We do?” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>“You won.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t even competing.”</p><p><br/>
“Why not?” Minho’s brow furrowed.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t think it was right for me to compete,” Chan said. “Besides, I just found the whole thing to be…weird.”</p><p> </p><p>“Weird?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Chan sighed. “I don’t mean to offend you, but I didn’t like the idea of this competition. I thought it was weird and creepy and <em>wrong</em> that a whole bunch of teenage girls—and middle aged <em>women</em> who were competing against their daughters—were fighting each other just to win <em>one</em> date with you. It felt wrong reducing you to just a prize to be won, especially when you’re so much more than that.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho smiled at that, his eyes warm. He didn’t look mad or offended in the slightest. “And that’s exactly why you won.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed and shook his head. “But I didn’t. I didn’t even get the key and bring it back to you. Plus I befriended your cat after dark, which was against the rules. There’s no way I can fairly be called a winner.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, there’s no one else, and I’m in charge of this competition, so I can declare you the winner no matter what anyone else says.” Minho smiled and shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Chan shook his head again and looked down, unable to meet Minho’s gaze. His eyes fell on Minho’s hand, which was still on Chan’s arm. The more Chan stared at it, the more his brow furrowed.</p><p> </p><p>There were faint scars on Minho’s hand, looking freshly healed.</p><p> </p><p>Chan reached for Minho’s hand and picked it up for a closer look. “Were you bitten by a dog recently?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>Chan glanced up and found Minho looking at him. This entire time, Minho hadn’t looked away even for a moment. His gaze, while warm and friendly and fond, was still somewhat unnerving, and Chan felt like he had seen it before.</p><p> </p><p>Well, yes—he <em>had</em> seen it before, but this gaze looked too familiar for it to be based upon one five-minute meeting several months ago at a downtown club.</p><p> </p><p>Then Chan thought of how Kitty had disappeared right after Chan opened the door for Karen, how Chan had thought Kitty had run away in fright, and how Minho had shown up in Chan’s hallway minutes later. How Minho was acting too comfortable around Chan, or how Minho seemed to know everything around town, or how Minho never seemed to answer the door for anyone during the day.</p><p> </p><p>It clicked in Chan’s head. It fit so well that Chan wondered why it took him so long to figure it out.</p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed and put a hand to his head. “No wonder you were so confident that your cat wouldn’t be outrun or outsmarted. No wonder you knew I had befriended your cat and wasn’t worried about him in the slightest. You <em>are</em> the cat!”</p><p> </p><p>Minho laughed at that—a bright, giggly sort of sound. Chan looked up and smiled at the sound of it.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re awfully cute and smart, Chan,” Minho said, bringing a hand to cup the side of Chan’s face. “But yes. I am the cat.”</p><p> </p><p>“But how?” Chan asked. “How is that possible?”</p><p> </p><p>“Want me to show you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wha—”</p><p> </p><p>It was as though Chan blinked, and Minho was gone. Chan blinked at the empty air in front of him before looking down at his feet, where a black cat sat, smiling up at him, looking <em>very</em> proud of itself.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god,” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>He blinked again, and then Minho was standing before him once again, with the <em>exact</em> same smug look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Ta-da,” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>“So the rumors weren’t that far off,” Chan blurted.</p><p> </p><p>Minho laughed again at that. “They were on the right track and somehow still missed it completely.”</p><p> </p><p>“What a bunch of morons.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho laughed again, and this time Chan grinned.</p><p> </p><p>“So I really won, huh,” Chan said, a little dumbfounded.</p><p> </p><p>“You did,” Minho said. He reached into his pocket and pressed a cold, tiny key into the palm of Chan’s hand, then curled Chan’s fingers around it. He looked up at Chan with a fond smile.</p><p> </p><p>“So I get to go on a date with you,” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>Minho nodded.</p><p> </p><p>Chan didn’t know what to say. He felt incredibly lucky. So all he could settle on was, “Wow.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho giggled at that.</p><p> </p><p>Chan snapped out of it and cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, uh, how about dinner?”</p><p> </p><p>“Dinner sounds nice,” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>“We should go somewhere that’s <em>not</em> in Yellowwood,” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I agree completely.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think I know a place.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” Minho was smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll have to call off from work,” Chan said, his mind still whirling. “I hope Changbin doesn’t kill me.”</p><p> </p><p>“He won’t,” Minho said. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a word with him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Now <em>that</em> doesn’t sound ominous at all.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho grinned. “Relax, I’ve known him for years.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? Oh, wow. Is there anyone you don’t know?”</p><p> </p><p>“I know of many people, but very few have had the pleasure of knowing me.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn’t help snorting at that. A few moments later, he felt something brush his leg. He looked down to find one of Minho’s cats, one of the orange and white ones, brushing against his leg. The cat purred loudly, its eyes nearly closed from how content it was.</p><p> </p><p>“This one isn’t going to shape shift into someone, right?” Chan looked up at Minho worriedly.</p><p> </p><p>“Aw, no.” Minho smiled and scooped up the cat. “He’s just a normal cat. Well, as normal as a cat can be.” He winked at Chan.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s a sweetie,” Chan said, stroking the cat’s head. The cat purred even louder. “What’s his name?”</p><p> </p><p>“Soonie.”</p><p> </p><p>There was another meow at Chan’s feet. He bent down and picked up the grey and white tabby, who seemed to be little more than a kitten. “And his name?”</p><p> </p><p>“Dori,” Minho said. “He’s the baby.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cutie.” Chan kissed the top of Dori’s head.</p><p> </p><p>“And that’s Doongie over there.” Minho nodded at where the third and final cat had made himself quite comfortable on the back of Chan’s couch. “He takes a little bit longer to warm up to people. He likes his personal space.”</p><p> </p><p>“He was literally snoring on my leg about an hour ago,” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>Minho grinned at that. “Well, I guess you’re not just anyone, then.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan blushed.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” Minho said. “Dinner?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, you mean tonight?”</p><p> </p><p>Minho nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” Chan said. “I thought you would want to wait a few days or so.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m free now,” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>“I have work in an hour,” Chan said, grimacing.</p><p> </p><p>“Call in sick,” Minho said. “After all, you <em>did</em> just get attacked by a crazy Karen who not only broke into your home but also nearly gauged out your eyes with her nails.” He put on a pleasant smile. “I’m sure Changbin will understand. Otherwise, give the phone to me and I’ll have a word with him.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn’t help laughing at that. “That is true, isn’t it…God, you really are a little demon, aren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“A <em>cute</em> little demon,” Minho said, his eyes sparkling.</p><p> </p><p>“Emphasis on the cute,” Chan agreed. “Alright…well, then. I guess we have a dinner date tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be late.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan smiled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>One month later.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Saturday nights were always crazy at the club, but tonight it was busier than usual. Chan had his hands full making drinks for an endless stream of drunk customers, but he didn’t really mind. Ever since Karen and her friends stopped coming here, this place improved substantially. No one gave Chan any problems anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Well, almost no one.</p><p> </p><p>“Here you go,” Chan said to a group of young women, one of whom had a pretty obnoxious getup. She wore a white, silk sash that said BIRTHDAY GURL in shimmering gold letters, as well as a giant, gaudy tiara that also proclaimed that she was, in fact, celebrating a birthday.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanksss,” the birthday girl slurred, giving him a sultry smile as she pulled the drink towards her. “It’s Chan, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep,” Chan said, since it said it right there on his name tag.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re <em>sooo</em> hot,” the girl said. “Like, even though you’re Asian, you’re really hot. I’m loving the curly hair, too. Like, I didn’t know Asians had curly hair, but like, you can <em>sooo</em> pull it off.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan gave a fake smile, somewhat sympathetic towards her. She was already so wasted, she probably didn’t even realize what she was saying.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a good night.” Chan tried to walk away, but she grabbed his wrist.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you know—” she hiccuped, “it’s my birthday today?”</p><p> </p><p>Chan glanced up at the tiara but put on a smile and said, “Really? I didn’t know that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yuppp.” The girl giggled and smiled at him again. Her eyes were somewhat droopy; Chan couldn’t tell if she was trying to give him bedroom eyes or if she was really just that drunk. Probably both. “Y’know, I’ve always wanted to fuck a hot, Asian man.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s great,” Chan said.</p><p> </p><p>She leaned forward, practically draping half her body across the bar as she whispered loudly, “It’s like my birthday wish.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, fortunately, you have plenty more birthdays for your wish to come true!” Chan tried to pry her hand off his wrist. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, there you are!” a new voice cut across the bar. Chan barely had time to react before Birthday Girl was being shoved away, and another person was grabbing Chan by the tie and tugging him closer.</p><p> </p><p>Chan found himself looking right into the smirking face of none other than Lee Minho, who was absolutely dressed to kill tonight, in a black blouse with a cinched waist and sheer back, and some skintight, black leather pants just to further drive Chan crazy.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey babe,” Minho said in a <em>much</em> better sultry voice. “Ready for our date night?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hell yeah, babe,” Chan replied, and then Minho kissed him, right then and there across the bar, with tongue and everything. Knowing that Birthday Girl and Company were watching the two of them make out with shocked expressions just spurred Chan on, and he cupped Minho’s face to kiss him even harder.</p><p> </p><p>Minho finally broke away and smirked at him, his lips already puffy and red. Then, like flipping a switch, he swung his head to glare at the girls.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you mind?” he snapped. “I’d like to kiss my boyfriend without a bunch of straight girls getting horny over it.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan had to look away to hide the smile on his face. Eventually the girls stumbled away, and then Minho looked back at Chan with a smug look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re relentless,” Chan said, grinning at him.</p><p> </p><p>“More like territorial,” Minho said. “Can you blame me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope.” Chan’s grin widened as he gave him one more kiss. “I wanna make sure everyone knows I’m yours, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho smirked at him, and Chan smirked back, wanting nothing more than to just kiss the most beautiful man in the world for the rest of the night.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, alright, break it up, you two.” Changbin ruined the moment, even using a towel to swat at Chan. “Come on, back to work. No making out with all the patrons, Chan, <em>god</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“But what if it’s a really, really hot and sexy patron?” Chan pouted.</p><p> </p><p>“Still no.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, Binnie, your new bartender is just so hot and irresistible,” Minho drawled, propping his chin up on the bar and pretending to look apologetic. “You’re lucky I didn’t take him right here on the bar.”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys are going to make me puke,” Changbin said, but he was grinning. “Get out of here.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho broke into a grin, a bright and happy one that revealed him to be the sweet, fluffy boy Chan knew he truly was. That sultry, sassy part of him was just a front.</p><p> </p><p>Minho finally withdrew and blew one last kiss at Chan before saying, “See you after work.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan mimed catching the kiss and slipping it into his breast pocket, close to his heart. He patted it for safekeeping. Minho laughed, while Changbin pretended to puke. But even that couldn’t ruin Chan’s good mood for the rest of the night.</p><p> </p><p>When Chan finally finished with his shift, he practically skipped out the backdoor, his heart singing with excitement. He started off on his normal route home, stopping only when he reached the entrance to a particular driveway.</p><p> </p><p>There, in the center of the driveway, sat a black cat, its eyes glowing under the moonlight as it stared at Chan.</p><p> </p><p>Chan stopped and grinned at it, saying, “Miss me?”</p><p> </p><p>The cat suddenly tensed and launched itself at him. Chan simply opened his arms and braced for the collision, which was a lot harder than he expected. He let out a small, “oof!” as a dark-haired man appeared in his arms, hugging him tightly and grinning. Chan laughed and hugged him back, even lifting him up a little and spinning him around, right there in the middle of the street.</p><p> </p><p>When they came to a stop, Minho pushed himself up a little bit so he was looking down at Chan. He smiled at him, his eyes sparkling like always.</p><p> </p><p>“Right on time,” Minho said.</p><p> </p><p>“Like I’d ever be late for you,” Chan replied, smiling back up at him.</p><p> </p><p>Minho leaned down and kissed him, much softer and sweeter than a few hours ago at the club. Chan couldn’t help smiling into it, even nuzzling Minho’s nose with his own when Minho pulled back.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are the other little demons?” Chan asked, glancing around the driveway.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, they’re fast asleep inside,” Minho said. “I wanted you all to myself tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lucky me,” Chan said. “So, you thinking what I’m thinking?”</p><p> </p><p>Minho grinned at him. “Absolutely.” Then he slumped down so his head was nuzzled in the crook of Chan’s neck. “Bedtime! Carry me, Channie~”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, princess,” Chan teased, carrying Minho down the driveway with ease. “So, for tomorrow—how about we sleep in, get some brunch, then go for a walk? I heard there’s a hidden gazebo by this beautiful pond in the forest. We should go find it! Go on an adventure!”</p><p> </p><p>“Only if you carry me the whole way.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow. Just wow.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho giggled, completely unashamed as the house came into view. After all of that mystery surrounding what the house truly looked like, it was nothing more than a lovely, cozy lodge, with an A-frame roof, big windows, and a big, wrap-around porch. The view of the forest and a pond in the backyard was absolutely stunning.</p><p> </p><p>Chan would know. He had woken up to such a view every day for the past month. Though, it still wasn’t the best view to wake up to—no, that view was reserved for the sleepy, stunning man in his arms, who somehow became even more adorable and beautiful with bedhead in the morning sunlight.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you make French toast with strawberries on top tomorrow morning?” Minho asked when Chan carried him to the front door.</p><p> </p><p>Chan kissed his forehead. “Absolutely.”</p><p> </p><p>“And will you make little tiny French toasts with a single strawberry on top for my babies like you always do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“And—and can you even make some mimosas?”</p><p> </p><p>Chan grinned at him. Minho always got so whiny when he was tired. “Anything for you, kitten,” he said softly.</p><p> </p><p>Minho blushed but smiled up at him.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you,” he said.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you, too,” Chan said. “And I’m so lucky to have you.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho grinned and kissed him, right as Chan pushed open the door to the house and carried him to bed.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So apparently kale chocolate chip cookies are a Real Thing and I definitely did not know that when I was writing this and just made it up on the fly bc it seemed like something an anti-vaxx soccer mom would make xD</p><p>Anyways, thanks for reading! Please leave some kudos if you enjoyed!! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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